Andy wiped the sweat from his eyes, and quickly grabbed the racquetball before it could make its escape across the wooden floor. He looked back at Bill and grimaced. Bill’s twinkling brown eyes probed him, sweat dripping down his mocha skin from his short hair. At 6’2”, he was taller than Andy, but not enough to tower over him.

“Although it won’t help you. I’m up 15-6, and you are miles away. What’s up?”

At Andy’s continued silence, Bill straightened and walked over and put his arm around Andy.

“Come on Andy, I’ve known you too long not to know when something is bothering you. Remember that time in second grade, when you moped around for three days before finally admitting that you liked that little dark haired girl, but that she kept running over and stepping on your toes.”

At that, Andy had to laugh. “Yeah, her name was Fatima. We actually dated a little when we were in high school, although she never apologized for stepping on my toes!”

“Tell you what, let’s get showered and hit O’Malley’s next door. I think a beer will do you more good than the exercise right now.”

Andy had to agree, and so fifteen minutes later, he found himself firmly ensconced on the leather seat of a booth, hands around a pale ale from some local brewery, with Bill’s inquisitive eyes drilling into him. He took a long swallow, the taste of the hops rolling over his tongue as he contemplated what to say. Finally, he decided to jump in.

“I’m afraid it’s going too well with Janet.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Bill’s brow furrowed as he leaned back, the low lights and flickering candles causing shadows to dance across his face.

“You know how it was with Laura. I was head over heels for her. I never saw it coming…”

“I know, but the rest of us did. We tried to warn you.”

“And that’s my point. I ignored you guys, I ignored facts that should have clued me in. Heck, I ignored myself at some level because I suspected what was going on, but I didn’t want to admit the truth.”

“So don’t ignore the facts this time. Look hard at them. What do you like about her?”

Andy paused, and contemplated his time with Janet. “She’s smart, funny, and compassionate. I mean, we just seem to connect. It’s been a long time since I’ve just enjoyed being with someone so much. In fact, I’m not even sure I was ever that at ease with Laura. And then there’s the whole balloon thing…”

“It’s called a balloon fetish to those of us that have it.”

Andy’s head jerked up. He started to say something, but couldn’t make anything come out.

Bill smiled and nodded slowly. “Probably since I was about five. I mean, I thought about telling you, but it’s not like we ever discussed a lot about sex. To me, it would have fallen into the same category as discussing favorite sexual positions. I would have told you if you’d asked, but it’s not going to come up in casual conversation.”

Andy’s mind swirled, trying to wrap itself around the idea. “I mean, I kind of knew Julie liked balloons, especially after the stuff with Janet. But…”

“Who do you think really got Julie into balloons? When you introduced us freshman year, we really connected, and she jumped in with both feet. You know how Julie is. I think at first it was the effect that it had on me, when she involved balloons, but fairly quickly she enjoyed balloons as much as I did.”

“So what do you…?” Andy stopped, not even sure what to ask.

Bill nodded, sensing where Andy was trying to go. “For me, I always enjoyed the feel of them. Riding them was a lot of fun, and so once I got with Julie, being on top of one or having one between us as we made love was crazy erotic. Seeing them blown up, getting tighter, was also great. I enjoy popping them, but not as much as Julie. She is a popping maniac! For her, the purpose of a balloon is to be popped.”

“So what should I do?”

“My advice? Talk to her, find out what she likes, what she doesn’t. Everyone is different, like I said. Also, surprise her. For me, there is nothing hotter than coming home and hearing a balloon being blown up, or walking into the bedroom, and seeing a bunch of tightly inflated balloons scattered around. Julie doesn’t even have to say anything. Just seeing or hearing that is like turning up the dial. My mind fills in the possibilities.”

As Andy walked home that night, he kept rolling his mind over the conversation. It made sense, now that he knew. The parties that Bill and Julie threw always had lots of balloons, and they were always tightly inflated. If there was a game at one of their parties, it almost always involved balloons. He also remembered one party, where he was helping them clean up, and he had asked Julie if he should take the balloons out to the trash. He was a little surprised when she told him just to toss them in the bedroom. That, and the look she had exchanged with Bill now made a lot more sense.

Andy kept running over his ideas as he took the cab to Janet’s house. He hoped he was doing the right thing. His fingers moved down to the lump in his jacket pocket, running over the outlines of the small box. There was nothing he liked better than seeing Janet’s face break out with a smile, so he hoped this wasn’t a big mistake. Finally, he arrived, seeing the familiar brick and heavy oak door of Janet’s home. Getting out of the cab, he made his way up the stairs, but before he could knock, the door flew open, and Janet appeared backlit in the doorway, looking resplendent in a black dress with sparkling rhinestones splashed in a wave from right shoulder to left hip. He saw the familiar blush rise up her cheeks, matching her fiery hair, as she reached out and grasped his hands.

“Hi,” she breathed softly, the sound almost getting lost in the sounds of the street..

“Hi yourself,” Andy replied, squeezing her warm hands, then leaning out to kiss her on the cheek. “You look stunning.”

Janet’s blush deepened. Before she could say anything else, Andy slipped his hand into his jacket, and removed the box, pushing it into her hands. “A little present.” Janet raised an eyebrow, and smiling, looked down at the small box with its hand tied bow. It was larger than a jewelry box, so she knew it wasn’t a ring or necklace. She looked at Andy quizzically. He motioned with his head for her to open it. Her fingers untied his makeshift bow, then slowly removed the lid. She uttered a small gasp, quickly looking up at him as her mind processed the contents. The blush from earlier deepened further, and her hand reached out and squeezed his. He could feel the slight perspiration of excitement on her palm, as her eyes flicked down to the box again. Inside the box lay a single blue balloon. On the face of the balloon, written with a sharpie, were the words, “For Later”.

Her eyes darted up to his face, then back to the box, “What…?” she started, but couldn’t seem to finish the thought, her eyes locked on the balloon.

Andy kissed her on the cheek, and whispered in her ear, “Whatever you want.” Then he guided her to the cab. As they cuddled on the faded green seats of the aging Chevy, Janet looked up in Andy’s eyes, and then looked down at the box.

Andy smiled. “I want to know everything about you, understand everything about you. If you have a balloon fetish, that’s pretty important. A wise man told me to ask you about what you like. I figured this was a good way.”

Janet quickly looked down, then put a hand to her face. After a few seconds, she gave a little shudder and a choked sound. Andy looked confused for a minute, a concerned expression slowly making its way across his face. “Are you...crying?”

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “You have to understand, I’ve never had someone...special...I could talk to about this, let alone be...actually interested...in what I wanted or liked.” She sniffled, “I’ve had fantasies, dreams, about having someone willing to...you know…” as her eyes flicked back down to the balloon.

Andy caressed her cheek, “That’s part of being in a relationship, at least to me. Being honest, knowing what the other person wants. I haven’t had the best luck with that, but I think this time could be different.” He looked out the window as the cab slowed in front of the comedy club. “You ready?” Janet nodded, her eyes still moist, but nodded happily.

Later, as they watched the comedy show, Janet snuggled up against him, keeping a vice grip on his hand. He could see her eyes flick back frequently to the box as they enjoyed the show. As soon as the set ended, she grabbed the box like an addict, turned, gripped Andy’s face with both hands and pressed her lips against his. Then, running her lips up his cheek to his ear, she growled, “That was soooo unfair! Now let’s get out of here. We have a box to open together.”

The ride home was a blur for both of them. Janet was a bundle of nervous excitement, holding on to Andy like someone drowning, practically dragging him into her house as soon as the cab pulled up.

As they fell through the front door, Andy enveloped her in his arms, kissing her passionately. “Now about that box…”

“I want to see you inflate it,” Janet said quickly, then looked up through her crimson bangs, “and I want you to kiss me while you do it.”

Andy smiled and took the balloon out of the box, stretching it. I’m not sure I can blow it up and make it pop like you did.”

“I don’t expect you to. Blow it as big as you want. I just want to be with you as you do it.”

She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Now, kiss me and blow.”

His lips found hers, his hands sliding down her back. As their tongues caressed, she gently took one of his hands and slipped it into her dress. He ran his fingers over her supple breast, squeezing her hard nipple lightly, eliciting a moan. Breathlessly, she stepped back, keeping her arms around his neck, as he put the balloon to his mouth. His first couple of breaths were tentative, slowly inflating the blue orb. She encouraged him with a smile, and his next breath was more authoritative. As the balloon continued to swell, Janet looked at him with lust in her eyes. Finally, she couldn’t hold back, and pulled him down to the couch where she frantically kissed him. She reached behind her back, unhooked her bra, and tossed it away. Then she slid her hand down his body until she found his groin, sliding her hand across his hardness.

“Mmmm, that feels great, but this is about you.” He kissed her, then holding the balloon with one hand, he began blowing again as he slid his other hand into her dress over her newly released breasts. She moaned as he rubbed her while inflating more aggressively. The blue latex continued swelling, and as he watched he could see the words he had written grow and expand. A couple more breaths later he could feel the balloon getting tight.

Janet grabbed him, and kissed him hard again. “Oh my god, you have no idea how long I’ve waited for this. A couple more breaths?”

Andy looked at the balloon, not sure how much more it could take. Sensing his hesitation, Janet took his free hand, lifted her skirt, and slid it inside her panties. He could feel that she was soaked with excitement.

“This is what you did to me,” she said breathlessly. He felt her thigh muscles tighten as he began to rub her, putting his lips back to the balloon, adding another breath and causing the neck to swell slightly. She moaned as he sped his pleasuring of her, her eyes locked on him and the balloon. Then, surprising him, she reached up and took the balloon, quickly tying it off. Positioning it between them, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. He felt the balloon squeeze between them, the neck pushing up towards their faces. He could feel her quivering with excitement as his fingers played up and down across her pussy.

“Do you want me to make it pop? Or make you pop?”

“Both, please, oh god.”

Her thighs were clamped on his hand as her orgasm approached. He caressed her faster, while he put more of his weight on the balloon between them. It squeaked ominously, as the neck pushed even farther out. She moaned loudly, and her breath hitched. He knew that neither Janet nor the balloon could take much more.

“I’ve never intentionally popped a balloon before, but I’m about to pop this one. Is that what you want?”

She looked at him with a look like a lion about to pounce on it prey. “Yes, oh yes!”

With one huge hug, he kissed her, and pressed his weight down fully onto the balloon, while rubbing her furiously. The balloon squealed, then exploded with an ear shattering “BOOM”. With a cry, Janet arched her back against his hand, her orgasm cascading over her. They lay in each others arms for a few minutes, as her breathing slowly returned to normal. Finally, she raised her head and met his eyes.

“Wow....”

Andy smiled as she looked at him adoringly. “That good, huh?”

“I’ve been waiting for that since I was sixteen. It was SO worth the wait!”

“I’m glad. I was worried I wouldn’t do something right,” Andy said as he shifted his legs, as his own excitement started to make him uncomfortable.

Janet looked down and smiled. Then she ran her hand up his leg, caressing his hardness. “Now, no more arguing. Let’s see how I can return the favor…”